Chapter 57: The Strongest Explanation

Huang Guolun pushed open the door and entered the bar.

Sensual music and the scent of intoxication greeted him. On stage, a folk band comprised of several middle-aged men was singing slowly. Their music infused the bar with a thick, ambiguous and seductive atmosphere.

It was not a large bar, perhaps just about three hundred square meters, but the décor was exquisite. Several antique bronze chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and the scattered, dim lights in each corner were exceptionally soft. The bar counter, tables, and booths all embraced a luxurious retro style, exuding sophistication.

To his left, a display wall made of red bricks showcased several collectible-grade electric guitars, encased in glass. Their vibrant colors dazzled the eye. Clearly, the bar's owner was a rock music enthusiast; otherwise, he would not display such expensive electric guitars.

The bar Huang Guolun dreamed of opening in the future was just like this—not too big, but rich in atmosphere. Walking into this place felt like stepping into a dream of his own future. Perhaps it was the alcohol, but he couldn’t help feeling this illusion.

The bar was not particularly crowded. It was the evening rush hour, yet only thirty or so people were drinking and chatting. They all gathered in the booth area around the stage, seated in groups. The rest of the space was empty.

These people were likely friends of Sun Yanzhen, here for her birthday celebration. Huang Guolun glanced around and thought they all seemed so young, dressed fashionably and brightly, each outdoing the other in trendiness.

As for himself, he was still wearing the clothes he had thrown on earlier in the afternoon to hang out with his buddies. A white shirt, a deep blue jacket reminiscent of an old cadre’s tunic, black trousers, and casual loafers. His old-fashioned look was completely out of place among the stylish young crowd in the bar.

He had wanted to go home and change before coming, but traffic was so bad he had no time. So he just showed up in his “old cadre” attire for Sun Yanzhen’s birthday.

A few young people noticed him enter, but none thought he was Sun Yanzhen’s friend; they assumed he was just another middle-aged customer and paid him no mind.

Huang Guolun also spotted the booth area Sun Yanzhen had mentioned, where the girls were most numerous. They were chatting and drinking merrily, so he felt it inappropriate to interrupt. Instead, he took a seat nearby at an empty table and waited for Sun Yanzhen to come out.

After sitting down, he glanced at the booth area a few more times, but the more he looked, the dizzier he felt—he couldn’t spot any potential “blind date” candidates. One of his main reasons for coming tonight was to see if Sun Yanzhen could introduce him to a suitable partner. But now, that hope seemed faint. He and these young people clearly belonged to different worlds. Not to mention, the girls’ overly fashionable and seductive vibe was far from his criteria for a partner.

Several girls were actually wearing dresses. Some even donned dazzling sequin-studded mini-skirts! Those long, straight, pale legs were exposed, and even if they wore stockings, they must have been gossamer thin. The temperature in Beijing tonight was barely ten degrees; he couldn’t fathom how these girls could withstand the cold. Did they not fear joint pain?

Huang Guolun quietly mourned for their health and gave up hopes of finding a soulmate at this birthday party; instead, he resolved to enjoy celebrating Sun Yanzhen’s birthday.

His sharp ears caught the words of a handsome young man in the booth area with the most girls, a man who clearly commanded their attention. He looked about twenty-four or twenty-five, wore a cool buzzcut with braids reminiscent of Shun Oguri in “Crows Zero,” and had striking, chiseled features—almost star-like. Not particularly tall, but obviously fit; his muscular build made his white shirt look superb.

He hardly needed to speak; just sitting and drinking attracted the girls’ attention. But perhaps due to the alcohol, he was unusually talkative tonight. Surrounded by admirers, he was telling a story: “When my brother and his team go out on missions, they often encounter extraordinary people. The most incredible one is the guy I’m about to tell you about. The first time I heard his story, I was stunned. His courage, psychological resilience, and wild imagination are way beyond anything I imagined. When you hear this, you’ll think he’s legendary—a miracle among miracles!”

A girl in a glittering mini-skirt couldn’t wait. “Hao Qiang, stop keeping us in suspense! What’s so amazing about this guy? Hurry up and tell us!”

The handsome man’s name was Hao Qiang—a strong name indeed.

He took a sip of his drink, flashed a sly smile, and continued, “Where to begin? Let’s start with a company trip to Thousand Island Lake. According to him, he was just an ordinary employee then, not particularly wealthy. He went along with everyone. While tying his shoelaces near a pond, suddenly a frog jumped out. This frog could actually speak! It looked at him and said, ‘Real Madrid 5:1 Barcelona.’ Then it hopped away…”

The girl in the mini-skirt interrupted, “Come on, you’re making this up! Frogs don’t talk!”

Others at the table nodded, agreeing that Hao Qiang’s story was a bit far-fetched.

Hao Qiang waved her off impatiently, “Lu Rou, don’t keep interrupting me, okay? You’re too impatient. Let me finish first.”

Huang Guolun learned the girl’s name was Lu Rou—her fiery personality hardly matched her name.

Beside Lu Rou, a girl in a bright yellow fashionable long dress named Ju Xiaohui was clearly interested in Hao Qiang, gushing, “Go on, Hao Qiang! Your stories are so fascinating.”

Hao Qiang grinned proudly, “These aren’t my stories—they’re from my brother. His team encounters all sorts of extraordinary people. Let me get back to the most incredible guy—

When he heard the frog speak, he was stunned, thinking he imagined it. No colleagues were around, so he couldn’t ask anyone if they’d heard it too. He didn’t give it much thought. That night, there happened to be a Spanish El Clásico. Being a football fan, he stayed up at the hotel to watch the match. After it ended, he was dumbfounded.

In that El Clásico, Real Madrid really beat Barcelona 5:1 at the Bernabéu! Ronaldo achieved his first four-goal haul in El Clásico! This guy was a die-hard Barça fan, so he was heartbroken by the defeat. But the frog’s prediction made him realize he’d encountered something supernatural!

He couldn’t sleep all night. Early the next morning, he ditched his colleagues and returned alone to the pond, looking for the frog. Amazingly, the frog jumped out again.

This time, the frog simply said, ‘3D, 139,’ and hopped back into the water.

The guy was now fully convinced, so he went to the lottery kiosk in the scenic area and spent a hundred yuan buying fifty bets of 3D.

That night, he watched the lottery draw on TV; the winning numbers were indeed 139!

He won fifty thousand! Hit the jackpot!

He was ecstatic! On the third day, he returned to the pond to find the frog again. But this time, the frog didn’t appear. He refused to give up, waiting at the pond for a whole week, not returning to work with his colleagues but staying at the resort.

Persistence paid off—the frog eventually showed itself. This time, it didn’t jump out, but just poked its head above the water and gave him a sequence of numbers before submerging again.

Being a frequent lottery player, he immediately recognized the numbers as a Double Color Ball combination! He memorized them, hurried to the lottery kiosk, but didn’t dare buy too many for fear of raising suspicion, so he only bought five bets.

That night, the Double Color Ball draw revealed he’d won again! He scooped five first prizes, a total of twenty-five million! After taxes, he received twenty million, instantly becoming a young millionaire!

Never forget those who help you drink from the well; after becoming wealthy, he decided to repay the frog, so he waited at the pond for several more days until the frog appeared again.

He invited the frog to return to the city with him to enjoy a better life, rather than staying in the pond. After much persuasion, the frog agreed and accompanied him to the city.

It was the frog’s first time in the city. Everything seemed novel, especially the luxurious bathhouses, which fascinated it. The man, hearing this, rented out the most lavish bathhouse in town, bringing his friends and the little frog along to enjoy themselves.

During the break, he took the frog alone to a massage room. He placed the frog on the bed and said, ‘Thanks to you, I have everything I do today. Tell me what you want—I’ll give you anything.’

‘Kiss me,’ the frog replied.

He didn’t hear clearly and asked again.

‘Kiss me!’ The frog spoke even more distinctly.

He thought, well, kissing a frog isn’t so bad—after all, it gave him millions. So he gently kissed the frog’s forehead.

Unexpectedly, upon being kissed, the frog instantly transformed before him into a stunning sixteen-year-old girl!

She said she had been cursed by magic, and thanked him for saving her. Neither knew each other's name or background, but the girl vowed to live with him forever, never to part!

Just at that moment, my brother and his team were conducting a raid, and when they entered that room, the guy was sobbing, telling them this story over and over: ‘Officers, I swear it’s true! The girl on the bed really came from a frog—please don’t arrest me!’… Hahaha!”

Hao Qiang’s animated storytelling had everyone at the table laughing. Huang Guolun chuckled quietly as well. He felt Hao Qiang’s storytelling style was very much like Huang Tao’s—full of wit and humor.

Hao Qiang continued, “My brother’s team called this—‘The most creative explanation encountered in the 2017 anti-vice campaign—unmatched!’ Haha, isn’t that incredible?”